BAGHDAD — During an Aug. 6 meeting, the Sunni Iraqi Forces Alliance took steps to determine the fate of the Sunni community for the post-Islamic State period. The representatives called for the formation of a council to take the lead in the Sunni-dominated provinces and to establish bylaws.
Although the Sunni forces’ statement did not explicitly state the intention to form a Sunni region, it was received by politicians and the Iraqi public as a mobilization to revive the project of a region that includes all Sunni-dominated provinces: Anbar, Ninevah, Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Diyala. This understanding has been confirmed by Sunni Salahuddin Gov. Ahmed al-Jabouri, who spoke to the media Aug. 9 about “some Sunni politicians’ actions to establish a Sunni region.”